[Kiwami]

Ultraman 80, I'm at episode 31 now.

Yes it’s true, the show suffered bitterly from the drastic change of direction. What once made it unique is now entirely lost and the show is simply more of the same old defense squad science fiction action. Which isn't bad, but the teacher angle was so much better IMO.

But there is gold in there to be fund still, and episode 31 is such gold, one of the all-time best Ultraman episodes.

The defense squad takes a backseat to character focused story telling as Yamato cares for a kid he saved from a traffic accident, and accompanies her to visit her mother in the hospital. She lies dying, but wishes to return to a flower field, where the whole family, the now dead father included, spend their time together.

The daughter cares for a little garden, hoping to thus bring the field to her mother to give her strength and hope. A mysterious seed from outer space arrives at the garden, and wishing it will bloom into a flower the girl plants it.

It turns out to be a monster sadly, which saps the gardens energy, growing giant and attacking the city. 80 defeats it, but the garden and the dream of saving the child’s mother are destroyed. 80, deeply moved, channels his energy to give life back to the garden.

A happy end follows, as the harvested flowers fill the mother’s hospital room, giving her the strength to once again look forward to the future.

I love this simple story, I love that Yamato as a person is once again front and center, the actor is wasted as the stoic defense squad soldier, he's so perfect as a gentle caretaker and friendly guardian. He has such a warm smile too, and I'm glad I got to see it again. They even ended the episode with him smiling into the camera wish happened a lot early on.

My favorite little thing was seeing 80 heal the garden; it’s an almost godlike feat that makes Ultraman appear celestial and alien, yet full of compassion and understanding at the same time.

80 is still a fantastic show, but man what could have been. But maybe it's for the better. Maybe having something unique for a short time made it so different. Who knows what kind of stunts they would’ve pulled to keep the school setting around for 50 episodes.